One girl’s trash is another girl’s treasure and taste in books is no different. Selecting one book a month isn’t the easiest thing to do. With books, there’s never a true “reject pile,” just “unmentionables.”
This month Mocha Girls are reading Becoming by Michelle Obama, our beloved former First Lady. This book is the tell-all of tell-all’s, providing a glimpse into the White House that is unequaled and from a perspective solely unique. When the votes were tallied, Becoming won in a landslide victory. Maybe, at the end of the day, we just wanted the tea, because the runners up also tell all. Both are candid and provide a level of intimacy that endears readers. Some may have judged these celebrities incorrectly, but these books provide a deeper look. So I will spare you the suspense… and the runners up for book of the month are:
We’re Going to Need More Wine by actress Gabrielle Union and The Mother of Black Hollywood by Black-ish mom Jenifer Lewis. We love Union’s book because… first of all, who doesn’t want to read a book with wine in the title? Union has shared her story of abuse in the past, but she has not been as forthcoming about her relationship with husband Dwayne Wade – until now. Lewis, on the other hand, is known for her big personality, but has become very vocal about being bipolar, suffering from ADHD, and really a spectrum of mental illnesses. Yet, she reveals more about her upbringing and about how she’s overcome and managed her illness. She lets us in on her life’s journey. The nominations for this month’s book shared a broad requirement—be a nonfiction book about a Black woman. The other nominees for Mocha Girls Read book of the month were strong, but in the end, celebrity won out.
Some of the honorable mentions were: When Chicken Heads Come Home to Roostby Joan Morgan, Looking for Lorraine by Imani Perry, Negroland by Margo Jefferson, and When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrice Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele.
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Joy Simone for Mocha Girls Read
Ms. Simone is a journalist, professor, blogger and poet. She has authored two books of short stories, The Wedding Plan and Faithful & Other Stories and is currently working on her debut novel, Beauty. Joy has a passion for history and literature and enjoys teaching. She helped launch the book club Mocha Girls Read, Philly chapter, in 2018.
You can follow her on Facebook @ajoysimone.
